Politics

Free Speech and Comedy Documentary Can We Take a Joke? Gets Distribution From Samuel Goldwyn, Hits Theaters This Summer

The film features Penn Jillette, Gilbert Gottfried, Jim Norton, Lisa Lampanelli, and other comedians talking about outrage culture and comedy.

|

Download Video as MP4

Samuel Goldwyn Films acquired the North American rights to distribute the documentary Can We Take a Joke?, directed by Reason TV alum Ted Balaker and co-produced by yours truly. The film features comedians such as Gilbert Gottfried, Penn Jillette, Jim Norton, and Lisa Lampanelli, as well as free speech advocates like author Jonathan Rauch and the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education's Greg Lukianoff. 

The film is an examination of "outrage culture": where it began, how it spreads, and where it might be going. The focus is on stand-up comics, who are often the first to feel the effects of a hypersensitive culture that represses speech. To hear more about what comedy and free speech have to do with each other, watch Nick Gillespie's interview with Balaker above.

The film will be available this summer after a special week-long run on college campuses begins later this month.